Majority of US thinks GOP has botched handling the Russia investigation

Americans are following the expanding Russia scandal closely, and they don’t like what they see in terms of Republicans in Congress running interference for the Trump White House.

“When it comes to oversight over the Trump administration — on both the investigation and the Cabinet — the public is most troubled by congressional Republicans putting party over country,” according to Navigator Research, following their recent survey.

Americans have little faith in the GOP’s ability to hold Trump accountable, with 53 percent saying they disapprove of how Republicans in Congress have handled this work so far.

So it’s not surprising that a clear majority of Americans want special counsel Robert Mueller to continue his probe until the end, rather than cutting it short. There seems to be a feeling that if Republicans won’t keep Trump honest, then Mueller should.

Today, 63 percent say if Trump has nothing to hide, then he should let Mueller’s work proceed. Even among white Americans without a college degree — a group that strongly supports Trump — less than half believe the investigation should be shut down.

The solid support for the Russia investigation comes despite public silence from Mueller while Trump for months has been desperately hectoring law enforcement about an alleged “witch hunt.”

But Trump and his supporters don’t seem to be moving the needle all that much. And Americans can see right through the GOP’s effort to protect Trump.

“At the heart of Americans’ frustration with accountability and oversight is a sense some in Congress are putting party interests ahead of their duties to the country,” according to the research firm.

Among Americans who disapprove of how Republicans in Congress are handling the Mueller probe, 47 percent agree they’re “putting party over country,” 32 percent think they’re “blocking the investigation,” and 27 percent say they’re guilty of “obstructing justice.”

Elsewhere, the poll presents an interesting dynamic: Most Americans aren’t aware that Mueller has uncovered “crimes” (he has), yet a strong majority still approves of Mueller’s work and disapproves of how Republicans in Congress are trying to throw sand in Mueller’s gears.

In other words, if in coming weeks and months it becomes even more obvious that Mueller has uncovered crimes related to Trump and his campaign, the public support for him, and the public disapproval for Republicans, will likely escalate.

And screams of “witch hunt” really won’t help Trump then.